The Sun Belt women’s basketball tournament will got underway March 3, 2026 at Pensacola Bay Center, in Pensacola, Fla.
The Bobcats enter the tournament as the eight seed, meaning they will begin play in the third round. The Sun Belt is a single elimination, ladder style bracket; the lowest seeds have to climb through the tournament, playing more games, while the higher seeds start in the later rounds.
#8 Texas State
Despite having a bottom three overall record in the conference at 11-18, Texas State sits in the middle of the Sun Belt due to their conference record of 7-11.
Texas State is near the bottom in offense, ranking 12th in the conference, but sits in the upper half of the conference in defense, ranking fifth, only giving up 66 points per game.
The Bobcats will look to get back to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 23 years, but are currently riding a five-game losing streak, so they will have to reverse course quickly to make it happen.
Potential opponents
The Bobcats will begin in the third round of the tournament, meaning their opponent is currently undetermined.
The Bobcats have three potential opponents in their first tournament game. 13th seed App State, 12th seed South Alabama or ninth seeded Coastal.
South Alabama and App State will play in the opening round of the tournament for the right to face Coastal in the second round. The Bobcats beat both App State and South Al earlier in the season, but were thoroughly beaten by Coastal 85-53.
If the Bobcats make it out of their first matchup, fifth seeded Marshall will be waiting in the wings. Texas State and Marshall didn’t meet in the regular season, so a tournament matchup would be the first time the two squads meet all season. Marshall ranks in the top half of the conference in both offense and defense.
Given the Bobcats can survive their first two games, fourth seeded James Madison will be next. JMU is 23-8 overall and dismantled the Bobcats 87-52 on Jan. 3. The Dukes will be a tall task, as they rank top three in both offense and defense.
If Texas State can ignite a winning streak, top seeded Georgia Southern waits in the semis. By this time, the Bobcats will be on their fourth game, while GSO will be playing its first. The Eagles went 16-2 in conference play and are currently riding a six game win streak. The Bobcats will begin play at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, March 5, at the Pensacola Bay center against one of App St. South Al or Coastal. The game will be available to stream on ESPN +.
